


And The World Blurs Itself

by ariphyll



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: M/M, Multi, Sick Fic, for fe polyweek, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-04
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-12-23 15:06:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11992263
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ariphyll/pseuds/ariphyll
Summary: Who could afford to get sick during a war?





	And The World Blurs Itself

**Author's Note:**

> Hhh, I don't have much done for fe polyweek but I at least managed to get a couple days done. This was written for the day 1 prompt of 'care', in probably... the loosest form of the word.
> 
> My tumblr is [ariphyll](https://ariphyll.tumblr.com/), I'm always open to messages about these 3 boys.

Waking up to a fever was always a near delirious experience. The whole world felt as if it was shifted weird and your entire body was heavy with the weight of it's sickness. Takumi woke up in stages through his fever sleep haze: the first being not fully aware of where he even was, slipping in and out of a dream that was clinging to him; the second was managing to sit up and feeling immediately worse as his body processed his state; and the third was realizing  _ why  _ he was feeling so awful.

A small shiver running through him, Takumi wrapped the blankets around him tighter. He wasn't one to get sick often, but when he did catch something Takumi knew it was always a small slice of hell to go through. Still, despite his body’s protests to lie back down Takumi forced himself out of bed. He couldn't allow something like this to keep him  _ bedridden.  _ He had responsibilities to take care of. They were in the middle of a damn war! He couldn't call out for a sick day when everyone else was working.

Shaking his head, trying to clear it as much as possible, Takumi prepped himself for the day. They weren't readying themselves for any battles for the day at least. There was the morning war council to get through however, and Corrin had wanted to practice archery with him today. Wait, he wasn't on shop duty today was he? He couldn't remember where he was in the order of everyone else. Perhaps he could pass it off to someone else if needed...

Gods, his whole body was aching. Takumi struggled not to drag his feet as he walked out of his room, still feeling sluggish and off-kilter. He wanted nothing more than to go back to bed but he couldn't just blow off the war council meeting.

In hindsight though, Takumi wasn't sure how many valuable ideas he brought to the table that morning. It was hard to think straight while sick, let alone pay attention to what anyone else was bringing up. Resting his head against his hand, he struggled not to fall asleep. He needed to focus but the fever running through him was saying otherwise. He actually thought he was doing pretty well until Sakura startled him out of a doze by shaking his shoulder. He watched people gathering papers and leaving the table and Takumi realized the council had ended for the day. Had he… slept through the rest of it?

“Takumi, are you feeling alright?” Sakura asked. “You hardly seemed awake during the meeting.”

Takumi waved her off, shaking his head. “I'm fine, just not a lot of sleep I guess.” He figured he should stand up now but his body was so  _ heavy. _

Sakura bit her lip, her hands playing with the edges of her clothes. “You look almost feverish, are you sure you're feeling well?”

Takumi forced a tired smile before pushing himself up, trying to act like he was at 100% but having to lean against the table. “I promise, I'm fine. You don't need to worry about me.”

Sakura wasn't buying it but didn't press the issue, instead giving a short nod and hurrying past with a worried glance back at him. Gritting his teeth, Takumi followed her out the door, wondering if he could get away with hiding for a bit before he felt a hand on his back. Looking over Takumi saw Leo next to him, a cautious look on his face.

“Your sister is right. You certainly don't look like you're feeling well,” he said.

Takumi rolled his eyes. “I'm  _ fine _ . What do you need, Leo?”

Leo frowned at that, dropping his hand. “Didn't we agree yesterday we going to the library this morning? You wanted to try your hand at chess again.”

Takumi cursed inside, regretting his previous agreement. “Right. Sorry. I guess it slipped my mind.”

Leo nodded but didn't say anything more. As they walked Takumi could feel his eyes on him and it was starting to grow irritating. He may be sick but he didn't want anyone to notice it. He didn't want others to start fretting over him like some weak child, especially Leo.

It had been an odd few weeks for them. It had been late one night when Takumi admitted to harboring  _ something  _ more than platonic for Leo, the words falling unbidden from his mouth. More surprising to him than Leo admitting that he felt the same was that he wasn't single. Takumi had always known Leo was close to Niles but he never thought they would be _ dating _ \- let alone have it be an open relationship. Takumi wasn't exactly uncomfortable with it, just more taken by surprise. It did mean he was still in the clear with Leo and his feelings being mutual, but Takumi couldn't bring himself to take it any further.

So they've been lying in a sort of limbo, acting as friends but with the underlying hint of being more than that. Takumi was content with that for now but that didn't mean he wanted Leo to fret over him being taken down by a  _ sickness _ .

Almost collapsing in a nearby chair in his haste to sit down, Takumi had to take a few moments to keep his vision from blurring the books all around him. It was so  _ tiring _ being awake. He kept his eyes closed as he tried to steady his breathing, keeping one hand gripped to the wood of the table. Was it always so hot in this part of camp?

“Takumi-?” Leo said, a questioning lilt to his voice.

“I'm fine,” Takumi said, maybe a bit too fast. “Just fine. It's just some- dizziness.”

He knew it couldn't be very convincing with his head down and digging his fingers into the wood. He couldn't bother to lift his head as he heard Leo approach though, worried that if he moved the room would start spinning without his consent again. He felt cool skin press against his forehead and after a moment he realized it was Leo. It took another moment before he realized Leo was pressing a  _ kiss _ , and Takumi jerked away in surprise.

“Wh-what-?” Takumi stammered, flustered at the motion.

Leo cleared his throat, trying to cover his growing blush with a hand as he pulled away. “I wanted to check your temperature without- having to take off a gauntlet.”

Temperature. Right. Fever. It was a way to check a fever. Takumi ran a hand through his hair. “I'm- You didn't need to do that. I'm fine.”

“On the contrary,” Leo said. “you're incredibly warm. That added on to you almost stumbling your way here, you're clearly  _ not  _ fine. If you were this sick why did you get up this morning?”

“I'm not sick,” Takumi protested, but it wasn't tricking anyone at this point.

Leo huffed, folding his arms. “Then stand up why don't you?”

Takumi shot him a glare but reluctantly complied, pushing himself to shaky feet. He wasn't even sure if his knees would hold him as he let go of the table, forcing himself to stand up straight. “S-see? I'm fine.”

Leo looked unconvinced. “Because a healthy man needs to use leverage to get up.”

“Who can afford to be sick during a war anyway,” Takumi mumbled, glancing away from him. He was starting to get cornered.

“No one, but that doesn't mean you get to force yourself to carry on as normal. What if we were set to march today? This could've been something that got you killed,” Leo sighed. He glanced around the library for a moment. “Niles? I know you're lurking around somewhere.”

“Yes, milord?”

The response came from behind Takumi and he jumped in surprise, lurching back away from Niles’ sudden appearance. His balance was all off though and Takumi could feel his feet start to give underneath him. He mentally prepared for hitting the floor but an arm wrapped around his waist, steadying him. Takumi huffed as he looked back at Niles, wanting to pry his arm away from him but also internally grateful for having someone to keep him upright. Even if Niles  _ was _ the one to cause it - Takumi knew he only did things like this to surprise him. If only he could figure out how to tell if Niles was in the room or not like Leo could, it'd make it a lot harder to get spooked.

“I want you to escort Takumi back to his quarters, he’s on bed rest for the rest of the day,” Leo ordered.

Takumi let out an indignant noise. “When did you suddenly become my mother? You can’t boss me around.”

Leo gave him an amused smile. “Under normal circumstances, no I couldn’t, but I think this is a special occasion. Niles, make sure he doesn’t leave his room.”

“As you command,” Niles said, flashing Takumi a wry grin before lifting him up in his arms in an easy bridal carry.

Takumi made a small noise at the quick motion, head spinning a little as he glared at Niles. “Put me  _ down _ , I’m not a child. This also isn’t how you treat a  _ prince  _ either!” His protests were for nothing though as Niles had a firm grasp on him, and Takumi wasn’t in the best of shape for squirming on out the hold.

“I’ll let your siblings know where you are. I imagine your little sister will make you something to help you feel better,” Leo said. “Until then, try to get some sleep. The army can function without you for a day or two.”

“Can you at least let me walk like a  _ regular  _ person,” Takumi complained. At this point he was too tired to argue not heading back to his room but he didn’t want to be seen being held in Niles’  _ arms _ .

Leo gave a small laugh. “You could hardly walk  _ here _ . Might as well be safe.”

Takumi scowled at him, knowing Leo was enjoying this just as much as Niles. This kind of treatment he expected from someone like him, sure, but Leo? To think Takumi expected him to have higher class than this.

Takumi sighed, aggravated but unable to escape. “Fine, let’s... go then.”

“As you wish,” Niles’ teased, leaving the library to head back to Takumi’s quarters. “You’re going to start worrying milord at this rate, Prince Takumi.”

“Oh how tragic,” Takumi grumbled. “Maybe next time he shouldn’t treat me like this.”

“Hm, and maybe next time you can stop acting like a brat,” Niles said, voice flat. “As if you’re the first person in a war to fall ill. Milord Leo is showing care for you, you might as well accept it as it doesn't come often.”

Takumi paused at the sharp comment, wanting to retaliate but holding his tongue. As much as he hated to admit it, perhaps his attitude was a bit…  _ childish.  _ He wanted to reprimand Niles’ for his tone but Takumi always found that difficult when what he was saying was true. Niles never sugarcoated anything, and as much as Takumi wanted to act like it didn’t, sometimes he needed someone blunt to cut through his thoughts and get a point across. As the jostling motion of being carried kept his eyes from being able to focus right he was starting to see there was a point. He wasn't going to be any good to the army like this.

“Still,” Niles said once he realized Takumi wasn’t going to fire back. “I think I’m starting to see milord’s endearment with you. You’re cute when totally helpless.”

“ _ Helpless _ -?” Takumi started, face going red at the comment but pride flaring up. “I’m sick, not  _ dying _ .”

Niles huffed a small laugh, barely audible but Takumi could feel it move through his chest due to their proximity. “No, but you’re weak enough to be mostly defenseless.”

Takumi started to struggle in his arms once more as they reached his room. “Yeah? I’m certain that even with a fever I could still-”

Niles dropped him unceremoniously onto his bed, cutting off what he was going to say with a rough landing. Takumi groaned and rolled onto his back, shooting Niles a glare. He was grateful to be let go though, even if his body missed the body heat he was providing.

“Now, are you going to comply with milord’s wishes and stay in here? Or do I need to read you a bedtime story?” Niles mocked.

“Hardly,” Takumi mumbled. He pulled the blankets around him and curled up, squeezing his eyes shut as he tried to get comfortable. The air in his room was  _ freezing _ it seemed like. “You’re dismissed. Go back and bother your boyfriend lord or someone else that isn't me.”

A small chuckled came from Niles at that but Takumi didn’t hear the sound of him leaving. Frowning, he went to open his eyes but paused as he felt another kiss brush his forehead. Going red at that, Takumi jerked upright, opening his mouth to chide Niles but he was already out the door, a laugh filtering in from the hall.

“Consider it a blessing to get well!”

Takumi huffed, rubbing at his cheeks as if that would help his blush disappear any faster. As if he needed Niles’ care to get any better. What he needed was to sleep and not have smug retainers of Leo's bother him. Takumi made a mental note to whine to Leo later, but he supposed to not make  _ too  _ much of an issue. If he complained enough Leo might actually give some orders to Niles, and loathe as he was to admit it, Takumi would find it a little weird to go without Niles’ teasing. Even if  _ today’s  _ teasing was a bit- much.

Takumi groaned and pulled the covers over his head. Maybe he  _ would  _ have Leo give him some orders.


End file.
